Plug for oil wells



B. E. PARRISH PLUG FOR OIL WELLS June 7, 1927.

Filed Aug. 11 1925 IN V EN TOR.

4Z4, 0 4 A TTORIg Patented June 7', 1927.

UNITED s'rarlazs 4 BENJAMIN E. TARBISH, F HONEY GROVE, TEXAS ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO I). W.

' 1,631,152 PATENT OFFICE.

'MAURER, DALLAS, TEXAS.

PLUG ron 01L WELLS.

Application filed August 11, 1925. Serial No. 49,536.

, -My invention relates to appliances usually known as plugs, employed for stopping oil or similar Wells to prevent" undesired flow therefrom.

The invention -in its preferred physical embodiment as here shown, is in some respects similar to the structure disclosed in my previous application, Ser. No. 597,908, filed October 30, 1922, with important modilo fications and improvements sufiiciently referred to hereafter.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a simple and economical appliance,.which has a simple device or arrangement for loweringit into the well; a

suit-able clutch or gripping means for engaging the well casing or wall; a valved passage within the appliance; a valve controlling means serving to hold *the valve open during the lowerin operation to allow Whatever fluid. may lie in the well to pass freely through the device, and further serving to permit or cause the valve to close after the plug is properly located in the well or casing; and to rovide means for tightly sealing the annu ar space between the plug and the well casing or wall, to completely shut oil the flow of gas, oil or water.

In comparison with my previous structure as disclosed in the application above mentioned, the present invention provides means for positively expanding the packing, eliminating any dependence upon a spring for this purpose, which involves some uncertainty of operation in some cases. The

present invention also eliminates more or less complicated and non-positive detent devices for retainin the valve in open position, and the packmg in an unexpanded condition, while the appliance is being positioned in the well. Other modifications, im-

' provements and advantages of the present.

structure are sufliciently referred to below,

or if not described in detail will be sufiiciently understood by skilled persons upon comparing the devices.

The accompanying drawing. shows one physical embodiment of the invention. After considerin this, persons skilled in this art will un erstand that many variations may be made within the principles of the invention, and I contemplate the employment of any structures that are properly within the scope of the appended claims.

Figs. 1 and- 1 together are a longitudinal drel.

section of a well plug embodying the invention in one form. v The device is. shown in large scale in the two views for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing mainly the clamp carrier or packing abutment.

Fig. 3 is a section at 3 3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section at? 4-4;, Fig. 1.

An upper head 1 is screwed or otherwise suitably connected to the upper end of a sleeve 2, the lower end of which is similarly or suitably connected to a lower head 3. A packing sleeve 4 of suitable compressible material, such as rubber or rubber composition,

surrounds sleeve 2 with its lower end restmg on the flat annular upper face 5 of the lower'nhead. A tubular member, which may be cc venientlydesignated as a clamp carrier, 6, is slidably located on sleeve 2 with its flat annular bottom face 7 confronting the upper end of the packing sleeve. A mandrel 10, which may be the ordinary drilling'mandrelor one suitably modified or constructed for the present purpose, affords a means for connectin the plug to the drilling line or any suita le bit or appliance ordinarily employed on the line for. connecting tools thereto. The lower portion of the mandrel is provided With recesses or notches 11 to recelve the conical ends of screws 12- passing through the wall of the upper head. These screws are of moderate strength and stiffness, suflicient to support the plug under ordinary conditions, but flexible or weak enough to bend or break when the mandrel is pulled up, after the plug is clamped in position in the well casing, There may be two or more of the screws and sockets evenly spaced apart.

The tubular upper head is formed with a transverse web 14 supporting a valve-stem guide 15, through which passes the upper portion of valve stem 16, the upper end of which rests against the bottom of the man- The lower end of the valve stem passes through a guide 17 supported by arms 18 formed in the lower head 3. Properly secured on the stem is aconical valve 19, cooperating with a valve seat 20 formed in the lower end of sleeve 2. A spring 21 is located about the valve stem and is compressed between the-valve and :guide 17-, tendmg to close the valve, which is normally held open by the engagement of the ,stem at its upper end with the bottom of the mandrel.

The clamp carrier 6 is provided with flat diagonal faces 25, on which are slidably mounted clamps 26 which have serrated outer faces 27 to engage the well bore or casing. On the inner faces of the clamps are shallow lugs 28 fitting in slots 29 formed at the longitudinal centers of the flat faces 2,5. Screws 30 have their heads located in recesses in the clamps and pass through the lugs and slots and engage beveled nuts 33 which prevent outward displacement of the clamps. Any rotative displacement of the clamps is prevented by the lugs, 28, which are long enough to prevent such a turning movement.

A suitable plurality of apertures 35 are formed in the clamp carrier 6, these apertures being evenly spaced apart. The outer face of each aperture is closed by plate 36 detachably secured by screws 37. In each aperture is located a ratchet or looking member 38 which has on its inner face, teeth or serrations 39, co-operating with serrations 43 formed on the periphery of sleeve 2. Each ratchet member is urged to active posi- .tion by a suitably bent flat spring 44 secured to the correspondingplate 36 by a rivet 45. Desirably, the upper ends 46 of the ratchet members are angularly arranged or beveled, and the lower ends 47 are beveled in parallel planes, these beveled angles being directed upward; and adjacent upper and lower faces of the apertures 35 are correspondingly arranged or beveled. The object of this arrangement is that any force tending to move the sleeve downward in relation to the clamp carrier, also tends to force the ratchet members into firm engagement with the ratchet surface of sleeve 2 by the wedging action,

due to the lower beveled ratchet ends 47 and the corresponding faces of the apertures.

With the parts in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 1 the appliance isready to be lowered into the well case. As it descends, any fluid in the casing passes up freely through the apertures and upper heads 3 and 1 and past valve 19, which is positively held in open position as explained above. If

a there is any opposition to the free descent of the plug, caused for example byan indentation in the case, the descrlbed arrangement of the mandrel and the upper head 1 pliance may be successfully driven past it.

permits the plug to be forced past such an obstruction by a hammering action of the drilling tool. The force of these drivin blows is transmitted through the lower end of the mandrel to the stem guide 15 and web 14, to the upper head 1, and so to sleeve 2, to which the lower head 3 is rigidly connected; also the upper end of the clamp carrier 6 rests against the lower end of the upper head, so that no matter what part of the plug may'engage an obstruction, the ap- During the descending movement the outer serrations faces 25 and firmly grip and bite into the casing andprevent the clamp carrier 6 from moving upward. The upward pull is continued, sleeve 2 sliding up through the clamp carrier or body 6, and the upper face 5 of the lower head 3 'acts on the lower end of the packing sleeve 4 to compressit longitudinally against the lower face 7 of body 6. In this way the packing is forcibl ex panded in contact with the casing, and orms a tight seal about the entire appliance to positively revent ecape of fluids, and this packing e ect is in no way dependent on springs or other uncertain means.

As sleeve 2 moves up through the body 6, the ratchet members 38 are moved outward slightly, sufficient to ermit free movement of the sleeve with the sleeve serrations passing upward against the ratchet member 39. When the packing 4 is properly ex panded and after upward pull is relieved, the ratchet members immediately .above referred to, causes the ratchet members to be held in still firmer engagement by the downward pressure on sleeve 2, caused by the lengthwise expansive tendency of the packing 4.

The screws 12'or equivalent devices are sufficiently stiff to provide the necessary pull on sleeve 2 to properly expand the packing, but are at the same time of such diameter or'material that after the proper pull has been applied for the stated purpose, a further upward pull on the mandrel causesthe screws to break or bend upward, whereupon the mandrel vis released and immediately valve 19 is closed by spring 21, aided by any upward flow of fluid"in the casing. After the described operations the plug is en-v tirely released and remains in the well to eifectively seal it.

I claim:

l. A well plug or similar appliance comprising a tubular body, an expansible packing thereon, a member at one end of the tu ular body engaging the packing, a member slidable on the tubular body and engaging the other end of the packing toexpand the latter by convergent movement of tubular body to upward pullto expand the packing, clamping means on the member last mentioned to engage a well bore or casing and'lock said member against upward movement, clamping means intermediate said member and the revent downward movement of the body 1n relation to said member and thus retain the packing in expanded position, a valve for closing the passage through the tubular body, a spring tending to close the valve, and means normally retaining the valve in open position.

2. A well plug or slmilar appliance comprising a tubular body, a sleeve slidable on an upward part of the body and provided with slidable grippers to engage a well bore or casing and, lock said sleeve against upward movement, ratchet mechanism intermediate the tubular body and sleeve admitting upward movement of the body in relation to the sleeve and then acting to prevent return movement, longitudinally comprise 0- cated about a lower portion of the tu ular sible and radially expansible packin body, an abutment on the lower end of the body engaging the lower end of the packing, the upper end of which engages with a lower portion of said sleeve, a head conneoted to the upper end of the body, means thereon for releasably engaging a mandrel or similar lifting element,'a valve arranged to engage a seat in the lower end of the body, a spring tending to close the valve,

.and a valve stem extending through the- BENJAMIN E. PARRISH.

28th day of 

